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Alaska purchased from Russia
The purchase of Russia was an important piece of the U.S.'s rise to power. When Russia lost Alaska it marked the end of Russian trade expansion. -
Completion of the Transcontinental Railroad
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John D. Rockefeller started Standard Oil
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Alexander Graham Bell invents the telephone
The invention of the telephone was very important at the time because it made it much faster for people from long distances to communicate. This would reduce the number of miscommunications and make businesses more effective. -
Thomas Edison brings light to the world with the light bulb
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Chinese Exclusion Act
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Samuel Gompers founded the American Federation of Labor (AFL)
The foundation of the AFL impacted the skilled workers of the time by giving them a place to come together and push for better rights and working conditions. The creation of this group was the start of giving the working class better living conditions. -
Sherman Antitrust Act
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Ellis Island opens
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Carnegie Steel’s Homestead Strike
The Homestead strike marked the end of the worker's unions. After seeing the severity of this case and how the business owners managed to still win the case discouraged workers because they thought their efforts were in vain. -
Plessy v Ferguson
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The U.S. declares war on Spain
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Hawaii is annexed
The annexation of Hawaii extended the power of the U.S. to the Pacific ocean. This gave the U.S. strategic military advantage and gave them economic gain through the resources that Hawaii held. -
Rudyard Kipling published “The White Man’s Burden” in The New York Sun
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The start of the Boxer Rebellion
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Tenement Act
The tenement act improved the living conditions of the working class extremely. This act gave regulations to the tenements that could be constructed so that they would be more livable. -
Pres. McKinley is assassinated and Progressive Theodore Roosevelt becomes President
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The Philippine Insurrection comes to an end
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Henry Ford produced his first Model T (car)
The model T was the first inexpensive production car that could be made in an assembly line. This made it much easier to not only attain a car but also to get from place to place faster at a cheaper price. -
The Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe doctrine declares the U.S. right to intervene in the Wesern Hem
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Upton Sinclair releases “The Jungle”
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Pure Food & Drug Act and The Meat Inspection Act are passed
Gave regulations to the meat market so that manufacturers were unable to cut corners and create possibly poisonous food. For drugs, this made it mandatory to include a list of ingredients so that people would know what they are actually eating. -
Peak year of immigration through Ellis Island
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Creation of the NAACP
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The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire
This event denoted that improvements in the workplace needed to be made. At that time workplaces were extremely unsafe. With the rise in cigarette use and flammable items fires where easily caused. -
The Assassination on Austria’s archduke Franz Ferdinand starts WWI
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The Panama Canal is completed and opened for traffic
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The United States enters WWI
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Ratification of the 18th Amendment - Prohibition
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Women got the right to vote.
This was a huge step towards equal rights and resulted in the passage of the 19th amendment. Although suffrage for men of different races had been passed long ago it took much longer for women to gain the right to vote.
